Martina Navratilova and Victoria Beckham were among the celebrities who leapt to his support. Navratilova said she was throwing her D&G clothes in the bin, and Beckham tweeted a message of love to Sir Elton’s children and “all the beautiful IVF babies”. Responding to Sir Elton’s comments yesterday, Gabbana told an Italian newspaper: “I didn’t expect this, coming from someone whom I considered — and I stress ‘considered’ — an intelligent person like Elton John.

A photo posted by Elton John (@eltonjohn) on Mar 14, 2015 at 10:29pm PDT

“I mean, you preach understanding, tolerance, and then you attack others?

“Only because someone has a different opinion? Is this a democratic or enlightened way of thinking?

“This is ignorance, because he ignores the fact that others might have a different opinion and that theirs is as worthy of respect as this.”

On social media he went further, posting the word “Fascist” on Sir Elton’s Instagram page.

Domenico Dolce (left) and Stefano Gabbana at their latest 'Mamma' catwalk show (AFP)

Dolce said the pair believed in free speech. “We firmly believe in democracy and the fundamental principle of freedom of expression that upholds it. We talked about our way of seeing reality, but it was never our intention to judge other people’s choices. We do believe in freedom and love.”

In Italy, politicians rounded on Sir Elton and compared him to a member of the Taliban.

Elvira Savino, an MP with Silvio Berlusconi’s Forza Italia party, said: “Elton John is an intolerant person who wants to block anyone who thinks different to him.

“The fatwa against Dolce and Gabbana is really hysterical and surprisingly un-British”.

The duo's latest shows feature 'The Family" (Getty Images)

Roberto Formigoni, a senator with the New Centre Right, said: “I’m with Dolce and Gabbana and I applaud their courageous statement. This is freedom of expression.

“The campaign launched against the two stylists by Elton John is shameful and intolerable. Elton John is a Taliban, he is using against Dolce and Gabbana the same methods used by the Taliban against Charlie Hebdo.”

The attack on the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, which left 12 people dead, was committed by two Islamist extremists with no known links to the Taliban. However, the senator appeared to be using the word in broad terms to denote deep intolerance.

In their initial interview, Dolce and Gabbana said: “We oppose gay adoptions. The only family is the traditional one. No chemical offsprings and rented uterus: life has a natural flow, there are things that should not be changed.”

The pair made the comments despite Gabbana disclosing in 2006 that he had asked a female friend to act as a surrogate for a child conceived using his sperm.